Best Learning Management System - Top 5 Picks

Your members complete courses but can't apply lessons because there's no one to discuss implementation with, engagement drops after events, and data showing who's active lives in disconnected systems.

The pain points are clear:

• You struggle with fragmented learning experiences that fail to engage members year-round.
• You are unable to measure what drives learning outcomes and retention.
• You use disconnected systems where community, learning, and insights exist separately.

A platform that combines learning, community, and data insights solves these issues, ensuring both you and your members get tangible value through always-on engagement.

In this article, we'll explore the top LMS platforms to help you deliver personalized experiences and build communities where learning never stops.

TL;DR - Best Learning Management System

Let’s start with a quick list of the top platforms we'll compare:

1. Forj

2. MapleLMS

3. Path LMS

4. Crowd Wisdom

5. Elevate LMS

We'll cover each in detail later in this guide.

What is a Learning Management System and Why Does It Matter?

A learning management system is essential for delivering consistent, scalable professional development across all your learner segments. 

Your association can use an LMS to host courses, assign certifications, and measure completion rates. You can also use it to provide ongoing professional development that keeps members engaged throughout the year.

Here's why a good LMS matters for your association or professional network:

• Position Yourself as the Go-To Education Provider: Associations and professional organizations are often the trusted source of industry knowledge. A modern LMS helps you continuously educate the broader ecosystem, set standards, and maintain your position as the authoritative voice in your field. As new providers, solutions, and credentialing options emerge, your LMS becomes essential to staying competitive and relevant.
• Strategic Insights Inform Growth: Understanding how learning behavior predicts engagement and member churn can help you design better programs and intervene before members disengage.
• Personalized Experiences Drive Member Retention: Your members are more likely to stay when learning feels relevant to their career stage and goals. They get clear pathways to advance their skills, earn the credentials that matter in their field, and access the right resources at the right time throughout their careers.
• Non-Dues Revenue Can Grow Faster: A well-designed LMS helps you package knowledge into certification programs, specialty courses, and tiered learning paths that generate sustainable revenue.
• Connected Learning Leads to Stronger Communities: When learning is socialized and formal courses flow naturally into peer discussions, education reinforces relationships.

Essential LMS Features to Prioritize

Every member expects experiences that match their schedules and preferences rather than rigid systems that force them through a restricted learning pathway.

When evaluating platforms, you’ll want to focus on features that drive engagement, including:

• Certification Management: Ensure the LMS can automatically handle continuing education credits, expiration tracking, and renewal reminders.
• Modern Learner Experience: Your learners should find what they need without training, which means the user interface should feel natural on all devices. A simple, intuitive design with familiar navigation patterns ensures ease of use while reinforcing your brand's unique identity.
• Mobile Accessibility: Your learners need a mobile experience that feels as complete as the desktop version, ensuring they can access learning and other activities from anywhere.
• Analytics and Reporting: Look for a platform that shows you engagement patterns, predicts retention risk, and helps you understand which learning experiences drive revenue growth and sustained engagement.
• Adaptive Learning Paths: Your system should create personalized learning recommendations based on career stage, interests, and past behavior.

Top LMS Platforms Compared

Here’s a closer look at the best LMS solutions to consider:

1. Forj - The Complete Member Experience Platform

We built Forj specifically for associations and professional networks that understand learning doesn't happen in isolation from community and strategic decision-making.

Our platform brings together the following essential elements:

• Unified Community and Learning: Members move seamlessly from completing a course to discussing applications with peers. We connect formal learning with ongoing conversations, so your members can reinforce their knowledge through real collaboration.
• Personalized Learning Journeys: Our system analyzes each member's behavior, interests, and career stage to recommend curated content. Your organization can create adaptive paths that evolve as your members grow.
• Behavioral Insights That Drive Strategy: We show you which learning experiences predict retention, identify at-risk members before they disengage, and surface trending topics. This isn't just reporting, it's intelligence that helps you make smarter decisions.
• Revenue Growth Through Learning: Our platform helps you package knowledge into certification programs that generate sustainable non-dues revenue while delivering real value.
• Built for Association Needs: You don't need extensive customization because we designed our system around how professional networks and associations operate. We understand aspects such as certification tracking, continuing education credits, and tiered membership models.
• Always-On Engagement: Forj helps you manage continuous touchpoints throughout the year, which turns one-time events into ongoing relationships.

Here are the core features that make combining these elements possible:

• Forj Learn: This is our learning management system, which delivers personalized courses, tracks certifications, and adapts to each member's growth journey.
• Forj Connect: You can design branded community spaces where peer learning happens naturally, and members build professional relationships through peer-to-peer and group discussions.
• Forj Analyze: This is the analytics capability that shows you which learning experiences drive retention and identifies at-risk members before they churn.
• Journey by Forj: This is our signature experience layer that integrates every touchpoint across the member lifecycle, ensuring your community and learning experiences are seamless for every member.

Book a demo today to see how Forj transforms learning for associations and professional networks.

2. MapleLMS

MapleLMS is a simple learning management system with course delivery and basic tracking.  

Users can rely on the LMS for essential features such as course creation, progress tracking, and certificate management with minimal complexity.

Organizations choose Maple when they need functional learning without extensive setup, and the vendor provides decent support for technical questions. 

The analytics focus on completion rates rather than behavioral insights that predict retention, and you won't find highly personalized learning paths that adapt to individual member journeys.

3. Path LMS

Path LMS positions itself as a flexible learning platform that supports on-demand continuing education and live event-based learning programs.

Path LMS integrates with association management systems, so you can connect learning records with membership data if your technical team can handle the setup.

The main challenge is that reporting and automation features can be limited. Some users also report problems when they try to copy courses. 

Community engagement happens elsewhere since Path LMS focuses mainly on learning, which means members experience learning and networking as separate, disconnected activities.

4. Crowd Wisdom

Crowd Wisdom serves associations and professional organizations by providing personalized learning paths through its recommendation engine, which guides learners toward certifications and career development goals. 

Organizations use it to create topic-based discussion spaces where professionals share insights and answer questions.

The vendor targets professional networks and communities of practice, so they understand how members want to connect with peers. 

You can organize discussions by interest areas, and the platform makes it easy for members to find relevant conversations.

But the platform lacks behavioral analytics that predict retention or identify at-risk members, and you won't get personalized recommendations based on individual interests or career stage.

5. Elevate LMS

Elevate LMS serves associations with course management and event registration tools for online learning. 

The platform includes continuing education tracking and basic reporting on enrollments and completions.

Organizations appreciate that Elevate understands association workflows, and the system manages pre-recorded courses and live webinar registrations in one place.

Like MapleLMS and Crowd Wisdom, Elevate lacks sophisticated analytics. You can’t see which experiences drive retention or get adaptive learning paths that evolve based on individual member behavior.

How to Choose the Right Learning Management System

The platform you choose impacts engagement, retention, and revenue for years, so choosing the right LMS requires looking beyond feature checklists. 

Here's what you need to do to choose the right one:

• Define Your Member Journey: Map how members currently learn and where they get stuck. Understanding patterns can help you see which features actually matter.
• Evaluate the Depth of Analytics: Strategic platforms show patterns that predict engagement and churn. You can ask how the LMS’s analytics enable smarter decisions that promote growth.
• Determine the Total Cost of Ownership: Besides subscription fees, you need to budget for implementation and ongoing maintenance costs.
• Assess Community Integration: Ensure the platform can help members naturally transition from courses to peer discussions that enhance knowledge.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Let’s discuss a few questions that come up often when associations evaluate learning platforms:

What are the Four Types of Learning Management Systems?

The four main types of LMS systems include: 

• Cloud-based (SaaS) for scalability and ease of use
• On-premise for maximum control
• Open-source for customization and cost savings
• Custom-built for highly specific organizational needs.

Each type requires you to balance flexibility, control, cost, and technical demands.

Do LMS Platforms Offer A Mobile Experience?

Modern LMS software systems are typically built with responsive design, though the experience varies. Some platforms offer full app functionality, while others provide mobile-responsive websites.

You can test the actual experience yourself, because members increasingly expect to learn during commutes and breaks.

Are LMS Certifications Recognized Industry-Wide?

The recognition of LMS certifications depends on the credentialing organization, not the platform. Your association controls certification legitimacy based on reputation and program rigor. 

The LMS delivers content and tracks completion. 

The key issue is to work with a partner-vendor that understands association credentialing needs.

Conclusion

You’ll want to select the best learning management system that can transform how your association engages members. 

What separates good platforms from transformative ones is their ability to connect learning to relationships that reinforce knowledge.

At Forj, we unify community, personalize learning, and offer behavioral insights. We treat learning as part of the professional development journey.

Our platform combines Forj Learn for flexible learning paths, Forj Connect for peer collaboration, Forj Analyze for strategic insights, and Journey by Forj to integrate every touchpoint. 

If you're looking to transform engagement rather than just delivering courses, schedule a call with our team, and let’s transform your members’ learning journeys together.